The Gift of Prayer – Lesson 13

The Power of Gifts  

Christmas is over. The “making-a-list and checking-it-twice” complete for another year! I’ve tossed all those scraps of paper in the trash. Those scrunched up to-do lists that littered my car and lined my coat pockets. Except for the keepsakes. The ones my creative grandchildren distribute every December. Decorated like a Christmas card these lists always guide me on my gift-buying journey.

The search for the perfect gift is exhausting. Combing store shelves and searching internet sites make me cross-eyed. And weary. But amidst all the frolic this Christmas, I found an interesting verse in the Bible about gifts.

A gift opens the way for the giver. (Proverbs 18:16)

Think about it. Gifts are powerful. Jacob sent a gift to his estranged brother, Esau, to open the way of forgiveness. Hoping to appease his brother for deceiving him, Jacob’s gift was a sign of hope. He longed for favor and begged Esau to receive the gift as a token of reconciliation. You can read the entire story in Genesis 32-33.

Abigail brought a gift to David to appease his anger toward her foolish husband, Nabal. In so doing, she kept David and his men from bloodshed. You can read this story in 1 Samuel 25.

Yes, gifts are powerful. The greatest gift ever given is Jesus. He opened the way for us to have eternal life. The gift that lasts forever.

Prayer’s much like that. The greatest contribution we can make into our family’s lives is prayer. It’s the gift that opens the way for our children to know Him.

My mother’s prayers made incredible deposits into my life that impacted me forever! The way was opened for me to find Jesus. The Bible encourages parents and grandparents to pray. Look at Lamentations 2:19:

Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. 

Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children.

I owe my mother a debt of gratitude for faithfully lifting up her hands to the Lord for me.  What a powerful privilege and responsibility parents have for their children’s well-being that can only be accomplished through prayer!

Be a gift-giver. Give the kind that opens the way for young hearts to find Him. The gift of prayer keeps on giving…for all eternity.